Tag Archives: Glenn Hegar

Collier keeps up the attack

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I really like the way he’s running his campaign. Democratic comptroller nominee Mike Collier says his Republican opponent Glenn Hegar bragged to a Houston-area tea party interviewer last year that he was proud of the Legislature’s 2011 budget cuts to … Continue reading →

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Great moments in false equivalence

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The headline reads Money from disputed tax bills flowing to candidates for top tax chief, and then the story tells us that more than 99% of that money is going to one of those candidates. Business entities and taxpayers are … Continue reading →

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Another story on the huge inequities of our property tax system

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Press returns to an old favorite. “I’ve been sued every year by [JW Marriott],” says Michael Amezquita, the fiery chief appraiser of the Bexar County Appraisal District, which is currently ­facing $10.3 billion in appraisal-reduction litigation compared to … Continue reading →

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Who’s afraid of the Republican slate?

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I was reading this story about a kerfuffle in the Republican runoff for Railroad Commissioner when a thought struck me. A Republican candidate seeking a post that regulates the state’s oil and gas industry said he won’t cut ties to … Continue reading →

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Collier’s sales tax criticism of Hegar makes the news

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s how you do it. Democrat Mike Collier, a certified public accountant from Houston, will start airing television ads criticizing opponent Glenn Hegar, a Republican state senator from Katy, for his support to phase out property taxes and increase state … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Republican primary election

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve done the Democrats, so now let’s take a look at the Republicans. In this case, I did have a few specific questions in mind, so my approach here will be a little different. First, we all know that Steve … Continue reading →

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Collier hammers Hegar for property tax idiocy

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. During the recent Republican primary for state comptroller, state Sen. Glenn Hegar repeatedly endorsed eliminating local property taxes in Texas. Borrowing from GOP opponent Debra Medina’s 2010 playbook, Hegar urged a shift to sales taxes to make up the … Continue reading →

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The UT/TT primary polls were completely useless

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I expressed my contempt with the UT/Texas Trib’s Democratic primary poll result for the US Senate race last night, which they richly deserved. Sure, pollster Jim Henson admitted that “the first person to raise some money and run some ads … Continue reading →

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Primary results: Statewide

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

So Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott won easily. They never had to sweat their primaries, so on Tuesday night Attorney General Greg Abbott and Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis turned their attention to a fall election that is shaping up … Continue reading →

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Why some polls are less accurate than others

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The local GOP had a rally Monday night that among other things featured a “straw poll” of the faithful to see who their preferences were in the upcoming primary election. Harris County Republicans worked to energize their base on Monday … Continue reading →

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Back to the House

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

After the Senate adjourned on Tuesday morning without a committee vote on its omnibus anti-abortion bill following the long hearing in which there was a lot more hearing than listening, the House took up its bill, with more of the … Continue reading →

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Senate begins omnibus abortion bill hearings

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Remember, it’s all about women’s health. Senate Bill 1, and its companion, House Bill 2, would ban abortion at 20 weeks post-fertilization and recognize that the state has a compelling interest to protect fetuses from pain; require doctors performing abortions … Continue reading →

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No action on SB5 in the Senate

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The name of the game is running out the clock. Texas Democrats, far outnumbered by Republicans in both the House and the Senate, are nonetheless on the verge of killing one of the most restrictive abortion proposals in the nation … Continue reading →

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Transportation funding advances

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Between redistricting and abortion, transportation funding has taken a bit of a back seat in the special session despite being the first additional item on the agenda. The Senate took the first step on that yesterday. Despite concerns raised by … Continue reading →

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The special session won’t be so short

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The original idea behind the special session on redistricting was that it would be a quickie – gavel in, vote to adopt the interim maps as permanent, maybe vote on a few wingnut wish list items, and gavel out again. … Continue reading →

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Combs not running for re-election

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And a domino falls. Comptroller Susan Combs opened up the logjam that has been statewide office in Texas by announcing Wednesday that she will not seek election in 2014. Announcements were immediately flying with state Rep. Harvey Hildebran, R-Kerrville, throwing … Continue reading →

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Now there will be an app for your auto insurance

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Legislation allowing Texas drivers to prove their insurance coverage with a wireless communications device is on its way to the governor after winning final approval from the Senate on Thursday. The measure by Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, would bring … Continue reading →

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Is this the end for the Railroad Commission?

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

For the name, I mean, not the Commission itself. After 40 minutes of discussion about a bill that would rename the Railroad Commission of Texas and make other significant changes to the agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, … Continue reading →

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Legislative quick hits

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is the time of the session where there’s lots happening, and there isn’t always the time or space to stay on top of it all. So here are a few quick updates on things that are happening in an … Continue reading →

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Bad ideas never die

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And so we find ourselves once again talking about tax breaks for yacht buyers. From capping the sales tax on yachts to phasing out the state business levy, some lawmakers are pushing for tax breaks even as others say the … Continue reading →

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January finance reports for area legislative offices

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Just to complete the tour of semiannual finance reports, here’s a look at the cash on hand totals for area legislators. First up, the Harris County House delegation. Patricia Harless, HD126 – $308,221 Dan Huberty, HD127 – $69,058 Wayne Smith, … Continue reading →

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The state takes a stand against fish fraud

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Rest easy, fellow Texans. The scourge of fishing fraud has been dealt a heavy blow by the Legislature. Fraudulent fishermen better reel it in. The Senate passed a bill [last week] to make cheating in a fishing tournament up to … Continue reading →

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Outdoors legislative update

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is about the time of year when Shannon Thompkins, the Chron’s outdoor sports writer, devotes a column to what’s going on in the Legislature with bills that are about outdoor activities. I always look for them because he writes … Continue reading →

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Senate says “good-bye” to Railroad Commission

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Something like this has been talked about for a long time, now we’ll see if it actually happens. The Senate approved a bill [Monday] that would change the name of the Railroad Commission to the Texas Oil and Gas Commission … Continue reading →

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More on worker’s comp fraud

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Elise Hu has a followup to her story from last week about worker’s comp fraud and the lack of investigation of same. It seems she attracted the attention of the Lege. “My primary concern is patients getting improper treatment — … Continue reading →

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Sealy’s uncertain future

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

After BAE Systems officially lost the Army truck deal, the city of Sealy and the surrounding Austin County are pondering what the effect will be. The impending loss or transformation of its largest employer will have a staggering effect on … Continue reading →

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Special session speculation

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We all know that the Lege adjourned without finishing all its business. A lot of people are speculating there will need to be a special session to deal with it. At this time, Governor Perry is not one of those … Continue reading →

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Red light camera ban appears dead

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So says the Star-Telegram, which has been the go-to source for these stories. A final version of legislation restructuring the Texas Department of Transportation is not expected to include a ban on red-light cameras or a local option provision allowing … Continue reading →

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The Senate TxDOT sunset bill is not the House TxDOT sunset bill

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the massive House sunset bill for TxDOT, HB300, contained a boatload of amendments that greatly altered the original bill, including one that would make TxDOT a 15-member elected commission and one that would have outlawed red light … Continue reading →

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